Earning the Night (Re-uploaded)
by Noble-Husky
Summary: Batgirl!Artemis AU. A different set of choices and circumstances leads to a different path. Artemis Crock takes up the symbol that shines in the sky outside of her bedroom window and becomes another kind of hero. By adorable pragmatism


**My A/N: I do** _NOT_ **own DC, nor it's Young Justice property. I am not making any money off of this story, nor is this story of my creation. It is a re-upload of 'adorable pragmatisms' original work. The only changes I made to it were grammatical.**

* * *

A/N: I've been writing various drabbles for this Batgirl!Artemis AU on my tumblr, and now I have an actual first-chapter-like-thing I guess I'll post it here?

My change the title later because I suck at titles.

* * *

She's wearing the bat symbol on her chest.

She's blonde, not much older than Dick, and she lifts her chin up and faces Batman like she has just as much right to wear her hand-stitched cowl as he has to wear his armored one embedded with the latest technology.

Robin is perched up on the railing of the fire escape, watching

This is definitely something worth watching.

Batman slowly treads over the dirty snow and ice of the alleyway, advancing on that poor girl, about to give her the fright of her life. Then he stops and just looms, his cape swirling and snapping in the wind like a cloud of foul black smoke. He's in full nightmare mode.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Bruce is using his lowest, coldest, harshest Batman voice, and even Robin gets a chill from it.

The girl-Batgirl?-doesn't back down or falter. She looks pointedly at the tied up muggers propped across the bin. "If I am, then I guess I didn't do it right."

While she's talking, she shifts so her leg turns slightly to the side, hiding the gash on her calf where a knife grazed her, but not hiding it well enough. Batman noticed.

Batman became an expert at noticing injuries so that he can take advantage of an enemy's weakness, Bruce became even better at it so the he can tell, almost instinctively, whether or not Dick is hurt. So of course he noticed.

This girl is the one they've been hearing about, the one taking out petty criminals in this part of town and leaving them tied up for the cops. The new copycat, but by no means the first. Impostors show up every so often, but usually they're crazies or middle-aged guys trying to play hero, who all invariably need to be saved from certain death by Batman himself.

They've never seen a teenage girl play vigilante in Gotham before. Still, Batman dislikes copycats, no matter who they are.

He looks down at her threateningly and says. "I don't want to see you out here again. Consider this your warning."

The girl opens her mouth to say something back, but Batman's already shooting his grappling gun and soaring up out of this grimy lane and onto the rooftops, out of sight. Batman always gets the last word.

Batgirls eyes followed him, and when he's gone those eyes land on Robin, who's still watching from the fire escape. He winks at her, even though she can't see it through his mask, then readies his own grappling gun and shoots.

He looks back at the last second and sees her, thinking the two of them are gone, lean against the nearby building like her legs might go out, she's shaking so bad.

* * *

Home alone in her quiet apartment, Artemis pulls off her cowl and can't help but smile at herself in the mirror. She still can't believe it.

For weeks she had been dreaming about taking her life into her own hands. She made the costume (missing a cape, but she's not sure what the point of capes are anyway) by altering one of the stealth suits her dad gave her for training exercises. She stole some of his equipment, like grappling guns and smoke pellets. She hid everything and waited. Waited until she had the opportunity. Waited until she had the nerve.

The first time was the hardest,. She paced in front of the window, fully-dressed, for an hour before she willed herself to slide it open.

Now she wonders why she didn't take the plunge sooner.

Her fifteenth birthday passed not long ago. She got a typical present, a cellphone. And a not-so-typical present, a large set of throwing knives.

The throwing knives are coming in useful. They're not exactly batarangs, but they do the job. She's careful in her aim, knowing that if she really hurts someone Batman will come down on her with all the dark, righteous fury he's famous-or infamous-for.

Artemis saw a bit of that fury tonight. She suppresses a shiver as she stows her equipment underneath her sister's dusty bed.

She never expected to avoid them forever. She doesn't know [what] she expected. There is no long-term plan.

Batman's warning isn't going to stop her. She wants more than anything to go out there tomorrow night as well-a few doses of the vigilante life and she thinks she's addicted-but her dad's back home in the morning and he'll notice if she disappears at night. She has to wait for the end of the week, when he leaves town for another job.

* * *

In a cavern deep underground, skirting the city limits, Bruce Wayne is sending his ward up to the manor above and to bed. He settles into a chair and turns on the large computer before him to begin a search.

He already has a few key terms in mind.

* * *

A week drags by. Artemis's dad goes on another one of his "business trips", this time for three days. That means three nights of freedom. The moment the sun dips behind the buildings she's out the window.

The damp, smokey air feels like the freshest in the world to her tonight. She takes a deep breath happily as she strides from the car thief that she left tied to a lamppost. She feels empowered. She fells formidable.

But she doesn't feel like a hero; not yet. Somethings missing.

Maybe it's a feeling that builds overtime. She needs to accomplish more.

A shadow passes along her feet as she's walking through an alleyway, on the hunt for more perps. Artemis looks up and sees Batman swoop by overhead. He quickly glances down at her, not pausing, and continues swinging smoothly through the air. He's gone in the blink of an eye, up among the rooftops where she can't see.

He barely even noticed her.

Artemis hesitates in the alleyway, not sure if she's dissapointed or relieved. Not that she wants another lecture, but a part of her hoped that the warning last week was a test. And that by continuing her patrols and showing that she's serious about this, she'll be, dunno, accepted.

Apparently it isn't that easy.

 _Whatever,_ she thinks. _I don't need you. I can do this on my own, and I will. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours._

* * *

"What's this?" Dick asks, leaning against the back of Bruce's chair and looking up at the computer screen. The girl in the picture is familiar.

"I'll give you two hints: she wears a mask at night and possess very little common sense."

"Hypocrite." Dick cocks his head to the side, comparing the girl in the picture to the very short glimpses of Batgirl he got the night before.

The blonde hair matches up, as does the height and body type. She's half Asian-Vietnamese specifically, according to the file-which he didn't know. Between the dark and the distance and the cowl, he didn't get a good enough look at her face (and he sort of regrets that now because she's pretty). Besides, at that time he was more focused on her outfit.

"You know, Bruce..." Dick says. "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Bruce grunts, which Dick translates as a sarcastic _I'm flattered._ "Do you know how we can convince her to stop?"

"You're asking me?"

"You're closer to her age, so you have a better understanding of how her mind works." Bruce leans back in his chair and laces the fingers together in front of his face. "Hypothetically...If you were in her situation, what could I do to deter you?"

Dick chuckles under his breath. Sometimes he can't believe how clueless his guardian can be when it comes to things unrelated to crime-fighting, like kids and teenagers. "Uh, Bruce, just a reminder: there was nothing you could have done to deter me."

"That was different."

"Yeah, I guess so..but it wasn't not similar, either."

"What have I told you about double negatives?"

"They're annoying and can I please stop using them," Dick replies unconcernedly. "Anyway, you scared her pretty well last time. I don't think she'll be so keen to play dress-up again."

"I'm less convinced. She isn't and ordinary young woman."

"Oh,yeah? What's so special about..." He squints at the the screen. "Artemis Crock? Besides her being named after a Greek goddess, I mean."

Bruce taps the keyboard quickly, expanding more computer files. "Her family."

* * *

"You can't wear that," A voice says from behind her.

Artemis whips around, nearly slipping on the icy roof. God, that would have been mortifying. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold wind-not embarrassment- as she steadies her footing and glares at the man that snuck up on her.

So much for being ignored. He must've just been to busy stop earlier.

"What?" She asks Batman, trying to sound irritated rather than startled. She doesn't see Robin, but that doesn't mean he's not lurking in the shadows somewhere.

"That symbol."

"Is it trademarked or something?"

"It's dangerous, you're better off with a target painted on yourself."

She crosses her arms and lets out a _hmmph._ Like she's going to let anyone tell her what she can and can't do, what she can and can't wear.

Truth be told, she only stitched the yellow Bat symbol on her black costume after a realization that it will keep people from thinking she's a bad guy. But it's hers now and she's proud of it.

He takes a step towards her, and there's a clear threat in his tone. "I wasn't joking when I told you to stop." She doubts he jokes about anything. "If you don't listen to me, I'll have to take you to the authorities."

"Oh, and what _you're_ doing is _so legal_ ," she says sarcastically.

"You don't know what you're getting into. You're putting yourself and others at risk."

"So that's it. You don't think I can handle myself. Well, for your information, Batman, I'm more than capable. I'm... I'm _incredible!_ " She blurts out, gesturing wildly.

He watches her silently, betraying no reaction.

Artemis seriously wants to slap herself for saying something so stupid.

"Your fancy cowl must obstruct your vision and keep you from seeing what a great job I'm doing," she says,hoping she sounds a little less like an idiot and retain whatever dignity she had left.

Batman opens his mouth to continue arguing, but Artemis turns on her heel (nearly slipping again) and stomps away. This time _she's_ getting the last word.

 _I just told Batman that I'm incredible,_ she realizes with horror as she drops down and lands crouched on the fire escape.

She jumps down from platform to platform, trying to get as far away from him as fast as possible. She wants to bang her head against the nearest wall repeatedly until she forgets about the entire conversation.

He must think that she's an absolute nutcase.

* * *

Batman's waiting for her in her kitchen when she returns home.

He was here first. That means he didn't follow her; he knew beforehand.

He's figured out her identity.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Artemis braces herself and walks down the short hallway towards him, flicking on the nearest light switch out of spite. She knows how much Batman must hate the light. Maybe he'll fizzle and flee with his hands shielding his eyes.

Illuminated and up close, he just proves to her how much better than her he is. He's taller, stronger, more assured, with better equipment and armor. He's the real deal.

He makes her kitchen look small and her uniform look cheap and her whole crusade look like a sham.

"You broke into my house," Artemis says, eyes narrowed. "That's actually really creepy. I'm a _teenage girl_ , Batman. And your officially a stalker." She leans against the fridge door, hiding the faded family photograph from his sight. It's pity that she's trying to avoid, not judgement based on her last name. "I'm guessing if you know where I live, then you know my name and all about my family, too?"

"Not many records of you exist."

"But?"

"But, yes. I know who you are, Artemis," He admits.

"Then you should know that I'm not some stupid, delusional fan. I know how to fight. I've been trained."

Batman shakes his head slowly. "Not for this."

"Says you." Artemis retorts. "What are you going to do about it, Batman? Drag me to the cops? Talk to my _Dad?_ " She lets out a single derisive laugh as she imagines how that little encounter would go.

"I'll tell your mother."

She freezes in shock. Batman's going to _tattle on her to her mom?_ That's underhanded. Trust him to hit below the belt-he never seemed like the most understanding, respecting guy. He knows how to win.

Artemis isn't going to let him, though. She won't be intimidated, not like last week and not like on the rooftop. She won't let him mess with her on her home turf.

"Fine," she says nonchalantly with an airy shrug. "Do it. She'll probably be glad. At least I'm not being what my dad wants. I'm stopping crimes, not committing them."

"The risks are the same. They can be even worse," Batman says ominously.

Artemis scowls at him. It's to late at night for this and she just wants him to leave her alone so she can go to sleep.

"I'm tired. I'm tired from _successfully_ fighting crime and I'm tired of arguing with you. You're a trespasser. I want you out of my house _now_." She points at the door, then thinks better of it. (this is Batman she's dealing with) and points at the window across from them in the living room. "Don't come back unless you change your mind. Actually, don't come back at all."

"Artemis-"

"Go!" She yells angrily, not caring if the neighbors hear. "Get the hell out!"

Batman doesn't go. He leans down close to her ear. His voice sounds different- less harsh, more human. It's quiet and full of truths that Artemis is deaf to.

"You're young, Artemis. You can turn your life around without resorting to this. You can be normal, happy, and safe. But if you don't step away from this, and soon, you'll never be able to dig yourself out. You'll be in over your head with no way of going back. If you live that long." He turns and walks away from her, his final words lingering long after he has left: "I want you to know that you're making a mistake."

 _Wouldn't be the first one._


End file.
